Einstein's Light
by YinYangWriter
Summary: Sixth installment of L&S. Jeremy is the programmer, the others are the warriors, but when XANA strikes hard, can roles be reversed?
1. Boyfriend?

**This is the sixth installment of **_**Light and Shadow**_**. I do not own **_**Code: LYOKO**_**, but the OC's of Eva and Kayla are mine. Please review.**

* * *

><p>The gang had gathered for lunch, all except for Eva. None of them knew where she was. They noticed that she was coming later to meals and she would sometimes skip lunch. Needless to say that Kayla was not thrilled with Eva not eating. However, Eva did seem to be in a better mood than usual. A few days ago, Sissi started one of her yelling fits and Eva had taken it surprisingly well. And by surprisingly well, not jumping up and shouting back at Sissi.<p>

Eva came into the cafeteria about ten minutes after the others had sat down.

"What is with her?" asked Ulrich.

"Who knows," said Kayla. "As long as she's staying out trouble and not getting hurt, I'm okay with it. Mostly."

Eva joined them. "Hey," she said. She began eating. Noticing that she was being stared at, Eva looked up at the face of her friends. "What?"

"Okay," said Odd. "What have you been up to? You've been sneaking around more than usual."

"Nothing," replied Eva.

"Nothing?" asked Jeremy. "I doubt that. You seem happier somehow."

Eva turned to him. "Would you like me to be a grump?"

"No, no," said Jeremy. "I'm not complaining."

"Ah! I know," said Yumi. "So who is he?"

Eva frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Who is he?" repeated Yumi. "Your boyfriend!"

Eva choked on her food. Kayla was up and giving her the Heimlich before anyone knew what was happening. Eva finally got the bit of food swallowed properly.

"What?" she asked Yumi darkly.

"It has to be," said Yumi. "Why else would you be so secretive about it?"

"She is right," said Aelita. "We do know the darker side of you."

"So have you kissed him yet or what?" asked Yumi.

Ulrich made a sound in his throat. Yumi threw him a dark glance and looked back at Eva.

"There is no boyfriend," Eva said sternly.

"Then what have you been up to?" asked Odd.

"That's my business," said Eva, getting up and leaving, not taking her tray with her.

"That went well," said Jeremy.

"Oh, well," said Odd, reaching over to Eva's abandoned tray. "She'll have to slip up at some point. And then we'll know."

* * *

><p>Eva went to the auditorium, passing through the unlocked door that led backstage. There were boxes of costumes and props everywhere. Eva chose a sturdy looking box to sit on.<p>

"Hey!" said a voice.

Eva looked over to it. "Hey, Nicolas."

Nicolas walked over to her and sat down beside her. "What's wrong? You look upset."

"Ah, the others want to know what's going on with me," said Eva.

"So what did you tell them?" asked Nicolas.

"Nothing," replied Eva. "I said I wouldn't."

"You could tell them," Nicolas said. "I just didn't want anything getting back to Sissi. She wouldn't be happy if she found out you were helping me with the play."

Eva nodded slightly. "I know, but Odd can be a bit loose lipped. I don't want him opening his mouth. And as things are, I'm a little nervous about working with you."

Nicolas' eyes widened. "Really? How come?"

"They don't like you very much either," said Eva. "It's mostly because of the Sissi thing."

"Oh." Nicolas looked at his shoes.

"Don't take it to heart," said Eva. "There's more to you than what they know. For someone who comes off looking unintelligent, you really know your stuff about school plays and Shakespeare."

Nicolas smiled. "And for someone who comes off looking like they're from the 'hood, you sure are talented at poetry. Not to mention you're nice."

"Thanks," said Eva.

"So what do you think?" Nicolas asked. "We're doing a Shakespearean. _Taming of the Shrew_ or _Othello_? _Hamlet_ is a bit too dark. Oh! How about _A Midsummer Night's Dream_?"

Eva cringed at the title. She hoped that Nicolas took no notice.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

So much for not noticing.

"It's nothing," Eva quickly said.

Nicolas put his hand on her shoulder. Eva kept from wincing. Her shoulder was having a bad day and she was out of ibuprofen.

"It's something," Nicolas said gently. "What is it?"

"That play has a lot of meaning to me," Eva answered slowly. "It's meant to be a farce, but I would like to see it done tastefully."

"Then we'll do it tastefully," said Nicolas. "I won't let Sissi bully me around into making me do something I rather not. After your outburst the other week, I feel like I can stand up to Sissi as well."

"Thank you," said Eva. "That means a lot to me."


	2. Quakes

Kayla noticed that the William clone was surprisingly more intelligent that Jeremy first thought. It had enough common sense not to do something stupid or dangerous, but it had the capacity to learn other things. Kayla wondered just how smart it was.

"Eva," she sang as she glided up to her friend before school started. "I need a favor."

"I figured you did by the sound of your voice," said Eva. "What do you need?"

"Something that requires your expertise," replied Kayla. "I want you to get a hold of William's grades."

Eva frowned. "You want me to steal?" she asked. "Did you hit your head this morning? You have a fit if I so much look at something in a store window the wrong way."

"You don't have to steal them," said Kayla. "You can memorize them and tell me."

"Why the sudden interest?" asked Eva.

"I just want to know how smart the clone is," said Kayla. "Can you do it?"

"So you want me to sneak into Mr. Delmas' office, break into a locked filing cabinet, find William's records, memorize the ones after the clone came along, put it back, and sneak back out without anyone the wiser?" Eva took a moment to see Kayla's somewhat regretful look. "Would you like a piece of hard candy from Ms. Weber's desk, too?"

"I'm sorry," said Kayla. "It's too much trouble. I'll figure something else out."

"Kayla," said Eva. "It's fine. I can do it."

Kayla smiled. "Thank you."

* * *

><p>Eva waited until lunchtime when Ms. Weber and Mr. Delmas would leave their desks to get something to eat. It was then that Eva went into Mr. Delmas' office armed with her lock picking tools. She picked the lock on the filing cabinet labeled A–G and took out the file labeled Dunbar.<p>

There was a noise outside the office that made her jump. There was no time to look at the file. Eva shut the filing cabinet, tucked the file under her shirt and escaped out the window.

Jeremy decided to skip lunch and go to the factory to work on an upgrade for the Skid's navigation system. The super scan went off.

"An activated tower," Jeremy said. He looked to see where it was. It was located in the ice sector. Jeremy began to dial the others.

Eva looked for a place where she could read the file without anyone finding her. She was about to go to the woods when she heard a dog howling from inside the dorm building.

"Kiwi!" she whispered. "Better see what that dog's howling about before he gets caught."

Eva went inside and up to Ulrich and Odd's room. Kiwi was standing at the door, howling his little head off.

"What is it, boy?" Eva asked, kneeling down and letting the small dog lick her hand. She could tell something was very wrong. Kiwi had his tail tucked between his legs and his ears down. He was extremely agitated. "What's wrong?"

"Eva?"

She turned around to find Nicolas standing the doorway.

"What's going on?" he asked.

* * *

><p>Aelita got the call from Jeremy. "An activated tower in the ice sector," she said in a low voice so her friends could hear. "Yes, we're all here. No, wait. Eva's not here yet. Okay, I'll — "<p>

There was a huge rumble and the ground shook violently, sending students falling off their chairs and ducking for cover. It sounded like there was an explosion and the cafeteria was plunged into darkness as the power went out and a dust cloud formed.

"Is everyone okay?" asked Ulrich, picking himself off the floor.

"What was that?" Jeremy's voice came through Aelita's mobile.

"An earthquake," Aelita replied.

Someone screamed. Milly was staring out the dust-covered window. It took a moment to figure out what she was screaming.

"The dorm building collapsed! The dorms are gone!"

Other students flocked to the windows.

"It's completely leveled," whispered Yumi.

"Oh, no! Kiwi!" cried Odd. "Kiwi was in there! I have to get my dog!"

Ulrich grabbed Odd's arm as he tried to run out of the cafeteria. "Odd, no! It's too dangerous. Besides, I don't know how anyone could survive that."

"This must be XANA's attack," said Aelita. "We have to get to LYOKO."

"I'll call Eva," said Kayla. She pulled out her mobile and dialed Eva.

* * *

><p>Eva faintly felt her mobile vibrating in her pocket. She groaned and coughed. The air was dusty. It took a moment to figure out what had just happened. She reached back, brushing something warm in the process, but thinking nothing of it.<p>

"Hello?" she moaned when she answered.

"Eva, where are you?" came Kayla's frantic voice. "XANA's attacking. The entire dorm building is destroyed! You have to get to LYOKO."

"I'd love to," said Eva. "Just one problem."

"What's that?" asked Kayla.

"The dorm building came crashing down around my ears," replied Eva.

Eva heard the mobile hit something solid and several people yelling Kayla's name.

"Eva?" It was Yumi. "Where are you?"

"The dorm," replied Eva.

"What?" cried Yumi. Eva could hear Aelita asking what was she saying. "She's in the dorm." Some more whispers, a few shouts. "Eva, where are you exactly?"

"I was in Odd and Ulrich's room," replied Eva. "Kiwi was howling." A strange thought occurred to her. "Where's Kayla?"

"On the cafeteria floor, out cold," replied Yumi.

More shuffling and Eva could hear the mobile being changed hands.

"Is Kiwi okay?" Odd asked frantically.

Eva carefully moved around, feeling for fur. There was a yelp and Kiwi kicked her in the side.

"He's alive," answered Eva. "I think he's hurt though."

The mobile changed hands yet again. This time Eva could hear Yumi and Jim.

"Eva," Jim practically shouted. "Where are you? Someone said that you're in the dorm building."

"Yeah," replied Eva. "I was in Ulrich and Odd's room."

"What were you doing there?" asked Jim. "Never mind! Are you hurt?"

"I don't know," replied Eva.

"Is there anyone else with you?"

Eva thought about telling Jim about Kiwi. Then she remembered Nicolas.

"Nicolas Poliakoff. He was standing behind me."

"Is he hurt?" asked Jim.

"Can't tell," said Eva. She twisted a little, trying to push some of the debris off her. "I can't get turned around to see. Nicolas!"

There was a faint moan.

"He's alive," Eva said.

"Don't move," said Jim. "Help is on the way."

"Okay," said Eva.

"I'm going to hang up now," said Jim. "But the mobile is still turned on. Don't turn yours off."

"Got it," said Eva.

Jim hung up.

Eva hung up. She looked around the small, dark, dusty space where she could be spending the next few hours.

"Hang in there, Nicolas," said Eva. "We'll get out of here."

* * *

><p>As Jim talked on the phone with Eva, the others began to sneak away. Odd, Ulrich, and Aelita left first. Yumi stayed behind to wait for Kayla to revive.<p>

"What happened?" cried Jeremy. Ulrich had just told him what happened to Eva. "We have to hurry. We'll need to launch a return to the past."

"I know," said Ulrich. "We're almost there. Yumi and Kayla will be following us."

Another quake started. This one was not as violent, but it sent Odd, Ulrich, and Aelita stumbling. A few pieces of concrete fell from the sewer ceiling and into the water.

"Let's hurry and get out of here," said Aelita.

* * *

><p>Back at the school, Yumi shook Kayla again. "Come on, Kayla! Wake up!"<p>

Kayla moaned at least this time.

Yumi let out a growl of frustration.

"Need some help?"

Yumi looked up to see William Clone staring down at her. "Yes," Yumi replied. "Could you make sure Kayla stays safe? When she wakes up, tell her to come to the factory."

"Okay," said William Clone, bending down to sit next to Kayla. He took off his jacket and tucked it under her head.

"Thanks," said Yumi, getting up and making a break for the door. She never got there.

Another quake hit at that moment. This one was just as violent as the first. Yumi was sent crashing to the floor. There was the horrific sound of wood splintering and everyone screamed as the roof of the cafeteria came down.

Yumi opened her eyes to find that she had been pulled under the table. Where she had been was a beam from the ceiling. She looked around to see who had pulled her under the table. William Clone smiled and turned. Yumi followed his gaze and saw that he had dragged Kayla under the table with them. Being a computer program had its advantages and Yumi was grateful for them.

* * *

><p>Aelita and the boys were about to reach the ladder that led to the bridge of the factory. The next quake sent them sprawling and a portion of the sewer caved in.<p>

"Aelita!" yelled Ulrich and Odd.

Aelita got up and saw that Ulrich and Odd weren't with her. She could hear them faintly shouting through the pile of concrete, asphalt, and dirt.

"I'm okay," called Aelita.

"Head for the factory," said Ulrich. "We'll double back and meet you on LYOKO."

"Okay!" said Aelita. She ran for the ladder and climbed.

Topside was a war zone. Sirens were going off, smoke was rising from buildings. XANA was really trying to kill them this time.

"I'm here, Jeremy," said Aelita when the elevator doors opened to the control room.

"Where are the others?" asked Jeremy.

"Odd and Ulrich got separated from me," said Aelita. "They're doubling back and finding another way. Yumi's with Kayla, trying to revive her. They'll be here as soon as Kayla is conscious."

Jeremy shook his head. "It's too dangerous for you to go it alone, Aelita."

"We have no choice, Jeremy," argued Aelita. "We don't know how badly Eva is hurt. She could die!"

"Okay," said Jeremy, reluctantly. "Go."

Aelita hit the button and the elevator doors closed.

"Transfer Aelita," said Jeremy as she got into the scanner. "Scanner Aelita. Virtualization."

Aelita dropped down into the ice sector. The tower was a ways off, but she could make it with a vehicle. Jeremy already programmed the overwing for her.

"Be careful, Aelita," said Jeremy.

"I will," replied Aelita, jumping onto the overwing and taking off to the tower.

* * *

><p>Odd and Ulrich were looking for a place to come up.<p>

"Found one!" Odd said, pointing to a manhole cover.

"Good job, Odd," said Ulrich, rushing for the ladder.

There was another quake, this one not as violent, but strong enough to crumble weakened concrete.

Odd grabbed Ulrich's jacket and pulled him back in time as their exit disappeared behind a wall of concrete and dirt. They coughed and looked around.

"Great," muttered Ulrich. "We can't go back and we can't go forward. We're stuck."

"I hope the others are having better luck," Odd said.

* * *

><p><strong>Put on the pressure and hope that the LYOKO warriors don't crack under it. But now with Aelita the only one on LYOKO and help not appearing like it will be coming anytime soon, will she be able to deactivate the tower all by herself in time? You're just going to have to keep reading.<strong>


	3. Jeremy's Broken Vow

Kayla regained consciousness and Yumi was beginning to wish she hadn't. She was freaking out badly. She wouldn't stop shaking and she was stuttering so much that Yumi couldn't understand a word she was saying. Kayla had sat up and kept saying that they couldn't sit around and do nothing.

"Kayla," Yumi said, trying to get her attention. "Kayla!"

"What?" Kayla asked.

"At the moment, there is nothing we can do," said Yumi. "We just have to sit and wait. Hopefully we aren't buried deep. We should get out first. And then we'll go help Aelita and the boys."

"Okay," said Kayla. Then she started crying. "Eva must be so scared!"

"I'm sure Eva's fine," said Yumi. "She survived a building coming down on her."

That did nothing to stop or even slow Kayla's tears.

"I want out," she whimpered. "I don't like this."

"You're claustrophobic?" asked Yumi.

"Only if I can't get out of it on my own will," said Kayla. "You can throw me in a dark closet and I'll be fine as long as I know where the handle is and the door's unlocked."

"We'll get out," said Yumi. "Don't worry."

William Clone reached out and pulled Kayla over to his side. Kayla put her head on his shoulder and wrapped her arms loosely around his waist.

Yumi's eyes widened. She did not expect this.

The clone turned to Yumi and smiled. At least he was calm. Yumi couldn't say that for the others. Herb was just as afraid of confined spaces as Kayla, possibly more. Milly and Tamiya were crying, Sissi and some of the other girls were biting their nails. The boys were trying to look manly and not completely lose it, although some of the younger ones already had. Jim was calm, or trying to be for the students' sakes.

* * *

><p>Eva heard a moan from behind her.<p>

"Eva?" Nicolas whispered.

"You okay?" asked Eva.

"Yeah," he replied. "What about you?"

"Sore," replied Eva. "I don't think anything's broken."

"Um, so we're doing _A Midsummer Night's Dream_," said Nicolas. "Who do you want for the roles?"

"Nicolas, we are trapped under a building and you're asking me what my opinion on the school play?"

"Sure," said Nicolas. "We're not going anywhere and neither of us have anything else to talk about. Why not?"

Eva let out a short laugh. "You do have a point."

"So, why does this play mean a lot to you?"

If Eva could, she would have walked away from him. Instead, she frowned. "You go right for the throat, don't you?"

"You do, too," Nicolas popped off.

Eva was quiet for a moment.

"Eva? Are you still conscious?"

"Yes," replied Eva. "It was her favorite bedtime story."

"Whose?"

"My sister."

Old memories of Mackenzie came back to Eva. Mackenzie would move over on her bed so Eva could lie next to her. Eva would balance a flashlight on her shoulder and would read quietly until Mackenzie would fall asleep.

"Read about Puck," Mackenzie would say almost every night. "I want to hear more about Puck."

"You really like him, don't you?" Eva had asked on more than one occasion.

"He's funny!" Mackenzie would laugh.

"He's a bit of a brat," Eva would reply.

"He's a good teacher," Mackenzie had argued one night. "If it wasn't for him, the lovers at the end wouldn't have been as happy. He saved a marriage, too."

Mackenzie, young as she was, was smart. She had learned that from Eva.

"You have a sister?" Nicolas asked, interrupting Eva's memories.

Eva thought for a moment. Jeremy would launch a return to the past when all of this was over, so there was no reason why she couldn't tell Nicolas about herself. He wouldn't remember it later, anyway.

"Had a sister," said Eva. "She died two years ago."

"Oh, I'm sorry," said Nicolas. "Older or younger?"

"Younger," replied Eva.

"And she understood Shakespeare?"

Eva chuckled sadly. "I would have to explain some of it to her, but she got it for the most part. I would leave out the dirty bits, of course."

"Perhaps we could dedicate the play in her memory," said Nicolas.

There was another tremor and Kiwi howled from his spot on the floor. The tremor shook debris loose and dust was stirred up, causing them to cough.

"It's okay, Kiwi," said Eva, reaching out to pet him gently. "I hope the others are okay." She looked at her mobile, fixing to call Jim to see what was happening. The screen lit up and Eva was about to dial Kayla's number.

"Oh, no," muttered Eva.

"What is it?" asked Nicolas.

"No signal."

* * *

><p>"I'm near the tower, Jeremy," said Aelita.<p>

"Good," said Jeremy. "I wonder where everyone else is."

Jeremy tried to call Kayla and Yumi. No answer from either of them. He tried Odd and Ulrich. Still nothing.

"The earthquakes must have taken out the cell towers," said Jeremy.

"That doesn't surprise me," said Aelita, slowing down the overwing. "It's chaos out there."

Aelita surveyed what was around the tower. There were hornets circling and crabs standing guard, William at their head.

"Jeremy," Aelita said.

"I see them," said Jeremy.

"What should I do?" asked Aelita.

"I don't know," said Jeremy. "Could you use a little creativity to lead them away?"

"I don't think all of them would leave," said Aelita. "But I do have another idea."

A crab suddenly exploded when a ball of pink energy struck it. The others turned to where it had originated. William smiled maliciously. So she had come, but where were the others? If all had gone as plan, they were incapacitated or dead.

Another orb hit a hornet. This one had come from somewhere else. She was moving around. That was fine. William was faster than she was anyway.

Aelita saw that William was looking for her. She used the ice to hide, using the overwing to move from place to place. If she kept moving, maybe she would stand a chance. Battles weren't always won with sheer power. Intelligence and cunning were also required.

William turned into black smoke and moved away from the tower. Aelita hopped onto the overwing and moved again. Black smoke hit her and she tumbled from her vehicle, the overwing crashing into a wall of ice. William had her in his clutches.

"Aelita!" shouted Jeremy. "Oh, no! This is terrible! Aelita, try to get free!"

"I'm trying, Jeremy," said Aelita, struggling as William moved her toward the edge of the ice. "He's going to throw me into the digital sea!"

"If that happens," Jeremy began. He couldn't finish his sentence; he was too horrified. If Aelita was thrown into the digital sea, Franz Hopper would save her, but he would put himself at risk. Since other than Aelita, there was no one to protect him, XANA would destroy him, and it would all be over. "Hang on, Aelita. I'm going to call you in."

"But if you do that. . . What about Eva and the others?" cried Aelita.

Jeremy was at a loss. He couldn't help the others. He couldn't help Aelita. XANA was going to win.

Jeremy shook his head. "I must be crazy," he said, typing as fast as he possibly could.

A countdown window appeared and the clock began to count down. Jeremy jumped out of his chair and onto the elevator, hitting the down button. He got off at the scanner room and jumped into the nearest scanner.

"I hope this works," he said as the scanner doors closed.

Jeremy had vowed that he would never return to LYOKO, but this was an extenuating circumstance. Aelita needed help and he was going to give it to her.

He closed his eyes as the scanner whirled. A moment later he was being virtualized onto LYOKO. He slipped on the ice and fell to his hands and knees.

"Okay, off to a rough start," he muttered.

Jeremy stood up and looked around. He could see William leading Aelita to the edge of the ice.

William felt a sharp sting in his back. The action dropped Aelita on the ice.

"What?" roared William.

Aelita looked up to see William turned around and facing a new opponent. "Jeremy?" she asked, unsure.

Jeremy was standing fifty feet away, a silver, aqua, and metallic blue blaster pointed at William. He fired two more shots, both hitting William. William turned to red glowing smoke and dissipated into the ground.

Aelita got to her feet and ran over to Jeremy.

Jeremy was dressed in aqua pants and vest with a high, stiff color edged in silver. A metallic blue shirt was visible underneath, a band of black dividing the shirt from the aqua fingerless gloves that came passed his elbows. On his left forearm was a thick, metallic blue gauntlet. He wore metallic blue boots that were black at the top with a silver stripe, black triangles pointing to his feet. Around his waist was a silver holster and he wore a metallic blue backpack with a thick silver stripe running from top to bottom. Thick silver straps crisscrossed over his chest to hold it in place. Instead of glasses, Jeremy wore oblong sunglasses.

"Jeremy, what are you doing here?" asked Aelita.

"Helping you," replied Jeremy.

"But what about the super computer and keeping an eye on the monsters?" asked Aelita. "What about what's happening on Earth?"

"Being here to help you is more important than sitting at the control console," said Jeremy.

"Okay," said Aelita. "Let's go!"

They began to run for the tower.

"How did you learn to shoot like that?" asked Aelita.

Jeremy touched his sunglasses. "Targeting system."

The hornets dove at them and the crabs moved away from their posts. Aelita and Jeremy began attacking, but were quickly forced to take cover.

"Is there anything you can do?" asked Aelita.

Jeremy looked at his outfit. He touched his gauntlet, his fingers brushing the green rectangle. The gauntlet opened up. It was a little computer! Jeremy pressed a few keys and an image of the area appeared on the little screen, monsters and warriors.

"Three hornets, two crabs," he said. Jeremy pressed a few more buttons. "What's this do?" He pressed a button.

His backpack began to open up.

"A jet pack," said Aelita as Jeremy turned to see what had happened.

"Hopefully I won't crash," Jeremy said.

Aelita waved her hand over her star bracelet. "Let's fly!"

* * *

><p>Back at Kadic, things were becoming grim. The tremors were coming more frequently though some were not very strong, just enough for the students and teachers to notice that the ground was shaking.<p>

The most recent tremor just finished. Kayla shuddered in William Clone's arms.

"That last one felt worse than the one before," she whimpered.

Yumi nodded. "I think you're right."

* * *

><p>"Okay," Nicolas said nervously.<p>

Something above them fell down and missed them by feet. Eva petted Kiwi, trying to avoid his injuries. By now their eyes had adjusted to the dark. They could see what was in front of them, but they were still pinned under the rubble. Eva tried to turn over to get around to Nicolas, but that proved dangerous as the rubble shifted and threatened to bring more down on top of them.

"That last one was strong," said Eva. "They better hurry."

"Eva, at the risk of being slapped after we get out of this, may I say that you are one of the prettiest girls I've ever met," Nicolas blurted out.

Eva's jaw dropped and looked over her shoulder. She still couldn't see Nicolas' face, but she had the idea of where he was.

"And that you are the only girl who's ever gone out a date with me," he added.

"Nicolas, I've never gone on a date with you," said Eva.

"Well, you're the only girl who's ever done what I wanted to do with a girl on a date," Nicolas said. "No girl I ask out wants to go fishing in the moonlight."

Eva felt terrible. She had only done that to keep Nicolas from seeing the others go into the factory.

"You really have a thing for me?" she asked.

"Sort of," replied Nicolas. "You may not be much to look at, but neither am I, but beauty's skin deep, right? And since I heard your poems and you agreed to help me with the playscript, I've been really looking forward to the play. You're kind of my muse in a way."

There was silence.

"I just scared you off, didn't I?" said Nicolas. "Eva, I'm sorry."

"It's not that," Eva said, feeling her throat close up.

"I'll talk about the play and not you," Nicolas said quickly.

"It's fine," said Eva. "You can talk about me."

Nicolas caught an anomaly in her voice. He listened closely and heard her sniff. "Eva, are you crying?"

"No," Eva said, tears running down her cheeks. "It's dusty. I need to sneeze."

"Eva, I'm sorry."

"Don't be," said Eva. "It's nothing you did."

* * *

><p>Aelita and Jeremy were flying around, shooting at hornets and crabs. At last, they had cleared the way for Aelita to get to the tower. She swooped down, landing inches from the tower, and entered.<p>

* * *

><p>Another tremor shook the school. There was a sharp crack from above Eva and Nicolas and something fell. Eva screamed in pain as something very heavy landed on her pelvis.<p>

"Eva!" shouted Nicolas. "Are you okay?"

Eva couldn't answer; she was in so much pain. She knew whatever had fallen on her had crushed her pelvis.

* * *

><p>Aelita floated to the top of the tower.<p>

Jeremy tapped on the small keyboard of his gauntlet-computer. This computer was synchronized to the computer in the control room. He pulled up the information for the return to the past program.

Aelita reached the top of the tower, the interface appearing. She placed her hand on the screen.

* * *

><p>There was another tremor and Eva felt whatever was on her grow heavier. She let out another cry of pain.<p>

"Hold on there, Eva-phant," Eva heard a little girl's voice say.

Eva looked up and saw a little girl about ten years old with brown hair and brown eyes looking at her. She was cheering her on.

"Macaroon?" Eva whispered.

* * *

><p>Aelita.<p>

Code LYOKO.

"Tower deactivated," said Aelita.

Jeremy saw the tower turn white.

"Return to the past now," he said, pressing the enter key.

White light engulfed the factory and spread across the city.

* * *

><p><strong>Tell me what you think about Jeremy's LYOKO outfit. I would like to know how I did with it. I wanted to go geeky and have a little <strong>_**Matrix**_** thrown in with the glasses. And what do you think about Eva's relationship with Nicolas? Should I have them girlfriend and boyfriend? And how long should they keep it under wraps?**


	4. Eva's Replay

Eva hurried to the cafeteria at lunchtime. They looked up at her. Eva had a sly look on her face. "Got it," she said.

"Really?" asked Kayla. "Thank you."

Eva pulled out a slip of paper and handed it to Kayla. She also handed her a piece of hard candy. "From Ms. Weber's desk."

"What is that?" asked Jeremy.

"William Clone's grades," said Eva. "Kayla wanted to know what they were."

Kayla skimmed over the grades. "Not bad," she said. "Not stellar, either. That answers that question."

Yumi frowned at Eva. "What's with you?" she asked.

"Nothing," said Eva. Her sweeping gaze rested on Nicolas sitting across the cafeteria with Sissi and Herb. Nicolas glanced over and smiled briefly. Eva turned back to her table. She saw the others watching her. "What?"

The others looked over at Sissi's table.

"I can't believe that you went back to LYOKO," Ulrich said.

"Well, I didn't have much of a choice," said Jeremy. "It was either that or the chance that we could lose Franz Hopper or having one of you killed."

"Thanks," said Eva. "Having my pelvis crushed was not a fun experience and dying like that wasn't what I had in mind."

"I'm glad you did come," said Aelita.

"Did he look ridiculous?" asked Odd.

Jeremy flushed.

"Not really," said Aelita. "Jeremy looked like. . .Jeremy. What else can I say? I would expect it. I thought he looked handsome."

Jeremy blushed deeply.

"And you fainted?" Odd asked Kayla. "That's something I would not expect from you."

"What can I say? I was pretty freaked out when Eva told me that she was trapped under the dorms," said Kayla. "I'm a bit surprised myself. I thought I had heard it all from Eva when it comes to her getting in trouble." She turned to Yumi. "Sorry I freaked out on you."

"That's fine," said Yumi. "I was surprised that the William clone acted the way it did."

"What happened?" asked Jeremy.

"It comforted me," said Kayla.

"Saved my life, too," said Yumi. "If it wasn't for it, I may be dead."

Kayla turned to Odd and Ulrich. "What happened to you that you didn't make it to the factory?"

"The sewer caved in on us at different places," said Odd. "We were trapped."

"Lucky for us that XANA was concentrating more on the school than the sewers," said Ulrich. "We only had a few close calls."

Aelita looked up and around, frowning. "Where did Eva go?" she asked.

Kayla looked at the empty chair beside her. Eva's tray was gone as well.

"That's Phantasm for you," said Odd. "She appears and disappears. Too bad she didn't leave her tray behind."

"Hey, Nicolas is gone, too," said Yumi.

"That's strange," said Kayla.

"It could be coincidence," said Ulrich.

"True," said Kayla.

"Or maybe not," said Odd with a sneaky smile. The others turned to him. "What? I don't know anything for sure. But who knows? They could be dating. You've said it before, Yumi."

"But Nicolas?" asked Yumi. "It's a little farfetched, don't you think?"

Kayla let out a sigh. "Anything is possible with Eva."

* * *

><p>Backstage, Nicolas and Eva sat together. Eva was scribbling notes and Nicolas was suggesting ideas.<p>

"You said that this play has some special meaning for you," said Nicolas. "What is it?"

"My sister loved this play," said Eva. "I couldn't take her to see it live, so I would read it to her, try to do little voices, and I even made some crude puppets once. She loved it very much."

"Where is she now?" asked Nicolas.

"In heaven," replied Eva, touching her locket that lay under her shirt, "keeping an eye on me."

Nicolas gave a sad smile. "Then let's make this the best play ever."

* * *

><p><strong>Hee, hee. Did you catch the little bit about the hard candy on Ms. Weber's desk? I thought I would throw that back in there; Eva can be a smart-alec. Tell me what you think, my review board is waiting for postings.<strong>


End file.
